If I Should Fall
by Night Imp
Summary: Soujiro is a world famous boxer who suddenly realizes his life is devoid of meaning. But what will happen when he finds that meaning in his manager's girlfriend, Yumi? KenshinxKaoru, SoujiroxYumixShishio, possibly SanoxMegumi later on
1. Chapter 1

**If I Should Fall**

_By Night Imp_

Disclaimer: Sigh Do you honestly think I own RK? I'll give you a hint-I don't. I also don't know anything about boxing, so please forgive me if I get details wrong. The rating is mostly for language, suggestive themes, and some violence. (it's about Rurouni Kenshin and Boxing. Of course it's going to have some violence!)

(Clears throat) Well, I just have to promote my website every chance I get, so please visit http:get-me.to/anywherebuthere , my Seta Soujiro/Okita Souji fansite, and http:devoted.to/peacemakerkurogane , my Peacemaker Kurogane fansite.

Speaking is in "" Quotes, thinking and discussions with alter-egos are in '' Apostrophes. Song lyric quotes are in dashes.

Chapter 1

* * *

_- Somewhere there's speaking_

_It's already coming in_

_Oh, and it's rising at the back of your mind_

_You never could get it_

_Unless you were fed it_

_Now you're here and you don't know why-_

Soujiro Seta wasn't your average boxer. Perhaps that was why people liked him so. Perhaps that's what gave him his fame. He didn't stand in the corner dancing around like a bull on steroids. He didn't throw punches like he was fighting an invisible man. He took deep breaths, walked slowly, remained calm...and smiled. It was his trademark. His short height might make his opponent's over-confidant, and his smile was sure to throw them off guard, but he was much more powerful- and merciless- than he looked. He remained standing sedately in the corner, wrapped tightly in a royal blue robe till a few seconds before the bell rang.

Yes, that was what gave him his fame.

"You fought well tonight."

Soujiro glanced up at his manager, then back down to his hands as Yumi unwrapped them, remaining silent.

"I scheduled you to fight with Orian on the twenty fourth, so you get to stay here for another week. We've got a promo tomorrow, so you need to get some sleep."

Soujiro sighed as he listened to Shishio. Yumi finished unwrapping one hand and turned to the other. She had just begun to unwrap it when Soujiro jumped up and ran in to the bathroom, barely in time to throw up into the toilet.

Shishio sighed. "I thought I told you to see a doctor?"

"I'm fine." Soujiro said quietly as he slowly stood, ripped the rest of the wrapping from his left hand, threw it away and walked to the sink.

"No, you're not."

"It's just stress." 'No, it's not you idiot! It's side effects from those damn anti-depressants!' 'Oh, shut up. I'm certainly not going to tell Mister Shishio that.'

"I certainly hope so. But if this keeps up, I'm taking you to a doctor."

Soujiro said nothing as he swished out his mouth with water.

"You can have the afternoon off tomorrow, after the promo."

"Thank you."

"Yeah. Now see to it that you get some sleep." With that Shishio turned and walked out, Yumi following close behind, leaving Soujiro staring hatefully at his own reflection.

He splashed some water on his face and headed in to the bedroom in his suite, adjacent to that of Shishio and Yumi.

"Meow."

Soujiro looked down at his feet and smiled. He bent down and scooped up the beautiful Siamese stray - Isis, he called her- that had adopted him during a fight in Toronto.

"You know it's the meds, don't you?" He asked her quietly as he scratched behind her ears. "Someday I've gotta tell Mister Shishio. They've got me on so many medications they all counteract each other and I've got side-effects galore."

Isis regarded him calmly.

"But you know that, don't you?" He smiled and walked over to the radio, still holding Isis. He put on a CD and stretched out on the bed, with Isis purring, curled up on his chest.

* * *

Kaoru grinned and waved happily when she saw Soujiro walk in to the café.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming!" She said as she jumped up to give her brother a hug.

"Sorry, the promo ran late."

"Would you like another ice tea?" A waitress asked Kaoru as she stopped beside the table, carrying an armful of plates.

"Yes, please."

The waitress nodded and turned to Soujiro, who waved a hand dismissively. The waitress continued to the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't able to catch the fight last night. How did it go?"

"Fine. I won. As usual."

Kaoru smiled. "Well, that's good." She noticed his melancholy expression. "Isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"What's wrong, Sou?"

He looked up sharply and smiled. "Nothing. I'm just tired."

"You sure?"

He nodded. "So how's your boyfriend?"

Kaoru grinned. "He's doing great. We went to dinner and the movies last night."

Soujiro chuckled. "What did you see?"

Kaoru blushed. They really weren't paying too much attention to the movie, they were more interested in each other. "Um..." She desperately tried to remember the title. "...um, that new thriller that came out..."

"You went and saw a _thriller_ on a _date_?"

Kaoru nodded. Soujiro rolled his eyes. Kaoru smiled. She got out of that one.

"So when do I get to meet him?"

"Soon. We talked about that last night, actually. You got to let us know when you have a free night, we can all have dinner together."

Soujiro nodded.

"So when are you gonna get a girlfriend?"

Soujiro shrugged. "When I meet a girl I like."

A smile played on Kaoru's lips. She loved teasing her brother about girls. "So...who do you like here in this restaurant?"

Soujiro sighed and played with his water glass as he looked around. After a few moments he finally nodded to a young woman sitting all lone in a corner. "She's kinda cute."

Kaoru looked over her shoulder to see whom he was referring to.

Kaoru nodded. "Yeah, she's pretty. You ought to go over there and introduce yourself."

Soujiro desperately wished he had some food to throw at his sister. Kaoru burst out laughing at Soujiro's expression. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Sou, I just can't help it. You're so fun to tease!"

"Yeah, apparently."

"So when's your next fight?"

"The twenty-fourth."

She nodded. "I'll try to be there."

* * *

Soujiro slammed his gloved fists into the punching bag to the beat of the music.

He hated his life. To everyone else, it seemed so glamorous. No one knew what it was really like. No one knew what he had to go through to get where he was. No one knew what he had to do to maintain his fame.

Yumi walked in with Soujiro's robe and slippers- something he insisted on wearing after a training session-and absent-mindedly turned the CD volume down. It was far too loud, and she needed to talk to him about his new medication.

Soujiro wheeled around, fixing Yumi with a death glare. "Do not EVER touch my CDs AGAIN!"

Yumi blinked at Soujiro's sudden outburst and took a step back, watching him as he ripped off a glove and turned the volume back up.

"I'm...I'm sorry..."

Soujiro resumed hitting the punching bag, hitting harder and harder.

"I've never given you permission to touch my things." He growled through clenched teeth.

Yumi stood with her mouth agape. True, he had never directly given her permission, yet he was constantly ordering her to bring him this and fetch him that. If he did not want her to touch his things, why did he ask her to bring them to him?

"Well, are you just going to stand there?" Soujiro's icy voice cut through Yumi's thoughts. He now stood in front of her, with his arms crossed, glaring at her.

Yumi glared back as she handed him his robe and slippers. She knew better than to say anything to him while he was in this sort of mood. After all, there was indeed a valid reason for the doctor to prescribe him tranquilizers.

"I'm sorry." She murmured as he accepted his robe and slippers.

Soujiro quickly turned and stalked out of the room to change, leaving Yumi standing alone. She shook her head and sighed. He was becoming progressively more violent, and it worried her.

Soujiro muttered to himself as he loaded a new CD into the stereo. 'Damn bitch, turning the volume down. She never had any right to do that.'

'Oh, relax, she just wanted to talk to you and she couldn't do that very well over the CD. What are you getting so worked up about?'

Soujiro stopped what he was doing and blinked. What _was _he getting so worked up about?

"Meow."

Soujiro looked down and smiled at Isis, who was rubbing against his leg. "Hey, baby. You want to be fed?" He cooed gently to her.

"Mrreooww."

"Hang on baby, I'll feed you in a sec." He turned back to the stereo and turned the CD on, then bent down and scooped Isis up in his arms.

"What do you want tonight?" He asked her as he walked over and opened a cupboard filled with canned cat food. "We've got...chicken and cheese, tuna, beef..."

"Meow."

"Beef? Okay." He set Isis down and opened up the can and dumping it in her dish. Isis began eating it up with joy. "Mister Shishio says I spoil you. I don't think I do. What do you think?"

No response from the cat.

He began stroking her soft fur, but cringed when the phone rang. He hated phones. He had to talk to Yumi about having it removed.

With a sigh he stood and walked over to it, hesitating before answering.

"What?"

There was a pause on the other end before his sister's voice spoke up. "Jeez, that's a snotty way to answer the phone."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know it was you."

"Well, obviously."

"I'm sorry, Kaoru. Why were you calling?"

"I was wondering if you wanted to have dinner with me."

Soujiro thought about that. They had had lunch together earlier that day. She must be pretty lonely. "Um...yeah, okay. Is everything all right?"

"Yeah, fine. Why?"

"Nothing. Why don't you come up to my suite? We can order up Chinese food or something."

"Okay, I'll be over around eight."

"Okay."

* * *

"I'm getting worried about Soujiro."

"Mmmm? And why is that, luv?"

"He's getting violent."

Shishio chuckled. "My dear Yumi, he's always been violent."

"No, I mean, he's more violent than usual."

"Now, now Yumi. You know how possessive he gets."

Yumi sighed and curled up against Shishio. True, he was possessive. But he had never taken it to such extremes before.

"Stop worrying, Yumi. He'll be just fine."

"I'm sure you're right, darling."

* * *

Thank you for taking the time to read this story! I know whenever you click on a title there is a chance you could be sorely disappointed by what you read. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint you.

To me, this chapter seems too rushed. I feel I jump around too much. What do you think?

Please review! Continuation of this story depends upon how many reviews I receive. I will only continue of I receive 3 or more.


	2. Chapter 2

BETA READER REQUESTED! My darling Sobrina-kun has always kinda been my unofficial beta-reader, now she's official...however, it was brought to our attention the other day that it is often helpful to have more than one beta reader (therefore Sobrina has both me and another girl). So, if anyone thinks they are up to the task of beta-reading for me, please e-me at

My only real requirement is that you do not get offended easily. As I'm sure you have noticed, I seem to have a decidedly -odd- sense of humor and that sense of humor seems to offend people without my realizing.

Now, on to the reviews!

Silent Tears of Agony: OF COURSE you count, you baka! :-) ::hugs you:: If it weren't for you I never would have posted this fic! I'm so glad you like it. :-)

Captain of the 3rd unit of Shinsengumi: Right on! When you send the Shinsengumi after me, please make sure you send Okita-sama. ::blushes:: ;-D

MSN-CHAN: lol It's okay, I don't know anything about boxing either. :-) lol Well, maybe by the end of this fic I will have converted you into a Sou/Yumi fan! lol

Snow White: I'm so glad you like it! :-) As far as Sou's personality goes, it will be changed eventually (GASP! Oh, I just gave everything away!), he starts out this way for a reason. It's all part of a divine plan. ( I think)

Dark Thorn White Rose: I like your username. So glad you like this fic!

Neko-chan: Thanks for reviewing!

Musicnerd101: I'm so glad you like it! :-) Thanks for being open-minded about the Sou/Yumi pairing! Sometimes people aren't...  
As far as the music goes, I never thought anyone would ask! lol Being a music nerd myself (hardly a second goes by that I don't have music on) I had a hard time choosing what bands Soujiro would listen to (there's so many I like!), which is why I didn't mention any names. From now on I'll mention it. Lets just say, in the first chapter, he was listening to Evanesence's 'Fallen' CD. (That was my original choice, so I might as well stick with it) And, as long as we're on the subject of music, the lyrics quoted in the first chapter and this chapter are from 'Everything You Want' by Vertical Horizon. (I know you didn't ask that-I just thought I'd volunteeer it.) :-)  
As far as the significance to Soujiro, I havent quite decided yet. lol When I started writing this fic I had a really scetchy plot idea so the finer details are still working themselves out. There will be **-**some- sort of significance, I'm just not entirely sure what yet lol  
Thanks for reviewing!

Kitsune KeNsHiN: So glad you weren't disappointed! :-)  
About Okita...er, well, both versions of Okita are based on the real man. I myself have never seen the RK version (other than in screencaps), but from what I hear, his personality is pretty much the same as the PMK version. But they look...different. Yeah. The PMK version is really...girly...except for when he's in uniform ::giggles:: ;-). It took me a long time to get used to how he looked but eventually he grew on me, now I prefer the PMK version over the RK version. (Am I confusing you yet?) lol Okay, really there isn't a straight 'Yes' or 'No'. They're similar. That's the best way to put it: They're similar to each other. Not completely the same, but not completely different.  
Did I answer your question without giving you a headache? lol Thanks for reviewing!

Y'all might be interested to know I came up with the idea for this fic when I was listening to the radio and they started playing a Rocky theme song lol I thought, 'Hey, Soujiro could be a boxer...' lol

If I Should Fall

Chapter 2

- But under skinned knees

And the skid marks

Past the places where you used to learn

You howl and listen

Listen and wait for the

Echoes of angels who won't return -

Soujiro lay on his back, staring at the ceiling, Isis curled on his chest and purring contentedly. He waited for a knock on the door.

'Kaoru should have been here by now.' He thought. He began thinking up all of the possible reasons for her being late. His sister was never late. Was she in an accident? Had she suddenly gotten sick? Had she been mugged on the way to her car?

"Soujiro?"

Soujiro shot up, causing Isis to fly to the other side of the room. "What is it, Yumi?"

Yumi walked over to the foot of the bed. "Is something wrong?"

"No. Why? What do you want?"

"You just look really worried..."

"Nothing's wrong. What do you want?"

"Makoto wanted me to remind you that you have another promo in the morning." (AN-For the record, Makoto is Shishio's given name. I'm pretty sure. Kinda like Hajime is Saito's.)

Soujiro grimaced. "Another one?"

"Yeah, so you need to get some sleep."

Soujiro rolled his eyes as Yumi walked out, shutting the door that led between the two suites behind her. Soujiro sighed and flopped back down on the bed. He hated promos.

"Meow."

Isis slowly walked back over to the bed, jumped up on it and curled up beside Soujiro.

"Sorry baby, I didn't mean to send you flying like that." He told her quietly. "Where do you suppose Kaoru is? She was supposed to be here thirty minutes ago." He sighed and glanced at the clock with a yawn. "I hope she's okay, Isis."

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(Bang, bang, bang) "Soujiro! Hey, Soujiro! You in there? Open up!" (bang, bang, bang)

Soujiro's eyes fluttered open. He lay there for a second longer when it finally occurred to him someone was banging on the door.

"Just a minute." He croaked as he stood and shuffled his way to the door, glancing through the peephole. "Kaoru!"

"Yeah! Open the door!"

Soujiro flung the door open. "WHERE WERE YOU?!?"

"I'm sorry I'm late." She said as she brushed past him, holding up a bag. "I brought Chinese food!"

Soujiro shut the door and gestured to a nearby table. "I was getting worried about you."

"Sorry." She giggled as she set the bag down and began taking out the food.

"Oh no. I know that giggle. You were with that redhead, weren't you?"

"I wish you would stop calling him 'That Redhead'. His name is Kenshin. So when are you going to get yourself a girlfriend?"

"Didn't we have this conversation at lunch?"

Kaoru continued to giggle as she sat down. "You look tired. Did I wake you up?"

"Uh...yeah." He mumbled as he sat down.

"I'm sorry. Hey, I actually remembered plates and silverware this time! Aren't you proud of me?"

Soujiro smiled. "Yeah. Your memory is improving."

Kaoru stuck her tongue out at Soujiro. The truth was, Kenshin had reminded her. But she wasn't going to let her brother know that.

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Soujiro had decided years before that all glass was made for breaking. Windows, mirrors, china cabinets. Small drinking glasses were especially useful for throwing across the room, which was what he was doing at the current moment. He smiled in twisted pleasure as the glass shattered against the far wall. It pleased him to destroy things. It released some sort of pent-up depression and frustration that festered inside him.

Yes, that was it, he decided. He destroyed other things to keep from destroying himself.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!?!?"

Soujiro glanced at Yumi in the mirror before smashing it to pieces with his fists.

"I'm relaxing." He replied calmly.

Yumi blinked as she looked about the room. How was this relaxing?

Soujiro turned around and stared at Yumi intently, his hands bleeding and sore. "Is something wrong, Miss Yumi?"

"Is...is something wrong? Is something wrong?! Soujiro, look at this room!!"

"I'm sorry, Miss Yumi."

Yumi shook her head, speechless and bewildered. He stared at her with his head cocked slightly to the side in a quizzical manner. His arms hung at his side, the blood from his hands dripping on to the floor.

Yumi sighed. "Sit down. I need to take care of your hands. Makoto is -not- going to be happy. I doubt you're going to be able to fight on Sunday."

Soujiro did as he was told as Yumi walked back into the other room for medical supplies.

"Where is Mister Shishio?" Soujiro called to the other room.

"He...stepped out."

"It would be best if he didn't know about this."

Yumi glanced around as she walked back in to the demolished room. "Yeah." Was all she said she knelt down on the floor in front of Soujiro. "Let me see your hands."

Soujiro obediently did as he was told. Pieces of glass- ranging in size from large to miniscule- had embedded themselves in his hands. Yumi sighed and picked up a pair of tweezers.

"Miss Yumi?"

"What."

"I'm sorry for yelling at you the other day."

Yumi stopped and looked up at him for a moment before turning her attention back to his hands. "It's okay."

"No, it's not. I feel really bad about it..."

"Well, don't. I'm used to being yelled at."

"So am I."

Yumi glanced up at him but said nothing.

"I'll help you clean the place up."

"As bad as your hands are? I doubt that."

Soujiro watched, without flinching, as Yumi pulled slivers of glass from his hands. "Why do people yell at you?" He asked suddenly.

Yumi stopped for a moment. "What?"

"You said you were used to having people yell at you."

Yumi thought for a moment. What an odd question! She tried to think of an answer as she began to bandage his hands. "I don't know...they just do. It's what people do when they're mad."

Soujiro nodded. "But..." Suddenly he stopped and shook his head. "Nevermind."

She glanced up as she taped the gauze. "I've got to get this mess cleaned up before Makoto gets back. Although I don't know why I'd bother...he's going to find out about your hands."

Soujiro squirmed slightly. "I'll tell him. Let him yell at me instead of you."

"What makes you think he'll yell at me?"

"I've heard him yell at you." He cocked his head to the side. "Don't worry Miss Yumi. Everything will be fine."

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Ha! This is the weirdest chapter I've ever written. I know, I know, Soujiro is OOC. But there's a reason, I swear!

Thanks so much y'all for reviewing! Now, if you want me to continue, just scroll down and press that button. All you have to say is 'Interesting'! That's enough for me! And if you want to write more, the more power to you. :-)

This chappie...neigh, this entire fic...is dedicated to my beloved Sobrina-kun. I'm dedicating this fic to her because the last fic I dedicated to her wound up being deleted. -- I'm still writing it, I just deleted it off (go figure). Anyways, Sobrina has always been there for me and I never really tell her just how much I appreciate everything she does for me. So I'm telling her now- Thank you, honey bun! (And, as I said in the review replies, if it wasn't for her I never would have posted this fic lol)

By the way, if y'all want to read a really, really good story, check out Yukijurou by The Raven Dark Angel. It's about Okita and love. How much more do you need? lol It's a Peacemaker Kurogane fic.


	3. Chapter 3

Musicnerd101: lol You're welcome :-) I really like that song (obviously, or I wouldn't have quoted it lol). I've come up with a system for looking up lyrics when I don't know the song title and/or the artist: type (I'll use 'Everything you Want' as an example) "Lyrics He's everything you want he's everything you need" into a search engine (basically "Lyrics"- then quote a few lyrics that you remember) and it will usually come up with the title, artist and the full lyrics. It might even come up with what album its from. lol Just thought I'd let you know that-it might come in handy if your radio station is anything like mine-hardly ever letting you know the title of a song. In case you're wondering, the lyrics in this chapter are that of 'Comfortably Numb' by Pink Floyd. I have decided to write a bit of a commentary later in this chapter about Soujiro and his music, so enjoy!

And this chappie is dedicated to you for being my most interesting reviewer! :-D

Mysterious Samurai: Thank you! :-) Yes, by the end he will be. I'm trying to go somewhere with his...er, obnoxious demeanor...but yes, by the end he will (hopefully) be the Sou everyone knows and loves :-) .

Snow White: Glad you like it! I'll try...I have a hard time writing long chappies (my mind just runs too fast and I'm anxious to move on to the next one), but I'll try especially hard for you. Thanks for reviewing!

Cathy Mark: Thanks! I will (hopefully lol).

Constantreader: Here ye be. :-) Thanks for reviewing!

No way out!: ::bows:: Thank you! I didn't realize that I was deserving of a '-sama' lol. Here ye be! Hope you enjoy! lol

Captain of the 3rd Unit of Shinsengumi: Yay! Okay, I'll be sure and finish it. :-D You gave me a great incentive! lol I'm glad you think it's good. Thanks for reviewing!

Silent Tears of Agony: Sorry, it slipped my mind. I had been sitting on that chapter for quite a while, putting off posting it so when I finally decided to post it it never occurred to me to let you beta-read it lol. -- Luv you sweetie.

If I Should Fall

Chapter 3

_- Hello?_

_Is there anybody in there?_

_Just nod if you can hear me. _

_Is there anyone home? _

_Come on, now. _

_I hear you're feeling down. _

_Well I can ease your pain, _

_Get you on your feet again. _

_Relax. _

_I need some information first._

_Just the basic facts, _

_Can you show me where it hurts? _

_There is no pain, you are receding. _

_A distant ship's smoke on the horizon. _

_You are only coming through in waves. _

_Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying. _

_When I was a child I had a fever. _

_My hands felt just like two balloons._

_Now I got that feeling once again. _

_I can't explain, you would not understand. _

_This is not how I am._

_I have become comfortably numb. _

_Okay. _

_Just a little pinprick. _

_There'll be no more ...Aaaaaahhhhh! _

_But you may feel a little sick. _

_Can you stand up? _

_I do believe it's working. _

_Good. _

_That'll keep you going for the show. _

_Come on it's time to go. _

_There is no pain, you are receding. _

_A distant ship's smoke on the horizon. _

_You are only coming through in waves. _

_Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying. _

_When I was a child I caught a fleeting glimpse, _

_Out of the corner of my eye. _

_I turned to look but it was gone._

_I cannot put my finger on it now. _

_The child is grown, the dream is gone._

_I have become comfortably numb. -_

Soujiro could hear Shishio walk into the other room, closing the door behind him, and quietly speaking with Yumi. A whispered conversation, a frustrated sigh. Soujiro had heard that sigh so many times in the past.

He looked around. The glass had been cleaned up, but the mirror still needed to be replaced. His hands throbbed, a constant reminder of last night's outburst. He wondered absent-mindedly what Shishio would say to him. What Shishio would say to the press. What Shishio would say to all the fans that had traveled who knows how far to see Soujiro fight.

"Meow."

Soujiro smiled and bent down to pick up Isis when Shishio burst into the room, causing her to scamper away.

"What the HELL did you think you were doing?"

Soujiro licked his lips and sat back down. "I-I'm sorry..."

"Yeah, well, sorry doesn't cut it." He sighed and began pacing the room. "I can't believe this...fuck, Soujiro, you KNOW better than this! Remember what happened last time? The whole Middleweight Championship is at stake! Don't you ever think before you do things?"

Soujiro stared at the floor, memorizing the weave of the carpet.

Shishio ran one hand through his hair, trying to collect his thoughts. Finally he stopped and sighed. "Let me see your hands."

Soujiro held his hands out obediently. Shishio unwrapped them and studied the wounds, all the while Soujiro began to wiggle his toes. It was an odd little nervous habit he had acquired as a child, much like how people tap their foot or start rambling nonsensically. Only this was much more inconspicuous, which was why he preferred it.

Shishio sighed and resumed pacing, making Soujiro wish desperately for some music. Music helped ease the tension.

Music could help you escape.

"You're still fighting on Sunday."

Soujiro looked up with a raised eyebrow but said nothing.

"I'm not going to let the public down just because you pull a little stunt like this. It's not going to kill you to fight with those cuts. If they hurt, too bad. It's your own damn fault."

Soujiro looked back down at the floor. "Yes, Mister Shishio."

"I'll have a doctor come in to look at the cuts. Try to stay out of trouble until then." With that, Shishio walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Soujiro sighed and headed straight for his CD case. Today it was a toss-up between Sarah McLachlan and Evanescence. He had taken a preference to female artists; he found their voices to be much more soothing than male ones, regardless of the style of music they sang to.

He finally settled on Sarah McLachlan, and set his stereo to repeat one specific track: Fallen.

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"Soujiro? Soujiro, are you awake?"

Soujiro cracked one eye open to see a very lovely woman looking down at him.

'Although she's not as pretty as Yumi.' He shut his eyes, but they suddenly flew open again. 'Wait a minute, where did that thought come from??'

"Soujiro, I'm Doctor Takani, I need to look at your hands."

Soujiro mumbled something inaudibly and turned towards her, holding out his hands. Nothing was said for quite some time, and Soujiro began to drift back to sleep. The wounds were deep with jagged edges. No one had explained to the Doctor how he got them, but judging by the broken mirrors in the room, she could guess.

"I see you like Sarah McLachlan." She said pleasantly, trying to make idle conversation. The silence had been unnerving.

"Yeah."

"She has such a pretty voice."

"Yeah."

Again there was an uncomfortable silence. Megumi sighed. "You really need stitches, but your manager told me not to give you any. He thought you would just pull them out. Soooo...I'm going to use this instead."

Soujiro opened his eyes to see her holding a small tube.

"What is it?" He croaked.

"It's a new product designed to take the place of stitches. It seals the wound and helps the edges to knit back together. And, the best part of all, it's painless."

"Kinda like a liquid bandaid?"

"To a degree, yes." She studied him for a moment. "Mister Shishio thought I should give you a tranquilizer, but you don't need one in the state you're in." She began to gather up her supplies.

"Um...what did you say your name was?" He asked quietly as she stood to leave.

"Doctor Takani. I'm a family practitioner." She gave a little shrug. "But you can call me Megumi, if you like."

He said nothing and she turned to leave, but stopped when she heard a small voice.

"Thank you, Megumi."

Megumi smiled and walked out, shutting the door behind her.

"Well?" Shishio asked.

"I didn't give him any stitches, as you asked. He seemed really out of it so I didn't give him a tranquilizer, either."

Shishio frowned but said nothing.

"I need to go, I have patients waiting. Nice meeting you." She said the latter part more out of politeness than anything else. The man gave her the creeps.

Shishio said nothing back but gave a dismissive wave and walked into the other room.

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Yumi hummed contentedly. This was the first time in months that she felt truly happy. Soujiro had been right, Shishio didn't yell at her, for he was too preoccupied with yelling at Soujiro.

She stopped and frowned momentarily. Poor Soujiro.

She sighed and pushed all thoughts of the two men from her mind. This was no time to be pouting. After all, she was shoe shopping! You can't be sad when you're shopping for shoes!

The smile returned to Yumi's face. Las Vegas had some of the finest shoe stores in the state, and she was determined to hit every single one of them. She had $50 of her own, and had taken $100 out of Makoto's wallet the night before. That was sure to earn her a few harsh words when she returned, but she didn't worry about it.

In fact, she smiled gleefully at the thought of her own cleverness, Makoto never yelled at her like he did Soujiro.

Well, he did yell at her, but not as vehemently as he did at Soujiro.

That was one of the few reasons she stuck by the man - his bottomless wallet.

Yumi had never had money of her own. She was raised dirt poor. Throughout high school she had managed to hold down a job as a waitress, bringing the money home to her drunken father. That was how she met the young, talented, rich, soon-to-be-ex-boxer, Makoto Shishio. She waited on him at the Diner. They had been together ever since.

Yumi smiled at her reflection in the mirror, most specifically the silver high-heeled sandals she was trying on. Yes, she was definitely going to buy these.

She motioned the sales clerk over and handed the shoes to him. "I'll take these."

The sales clerk nodded. "Would you like to see any others, miss?"

Yumi thought for a minute. "Sure...why not."

Of course, just because they were together for eight years didn't mean they were married. Yumi frowned at the thought. For the first couple of years Makoto had kept promising to marry her. As soon as he had won the Middleweight Championship Title, he said. But then he was injured, and the promises stopped. And then he brought Soujiro home. And nothing more was mentioned about marriage.

"These, miss?"

"Yes...those."

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"How many times have I told you not to take money out of my wallet?"

Yumi jumped slightly. She hadn't realized Shishio was sitting in the darkened room, watching her. "I...I'm sorry, you weren't around to ask."

She cried out as Shishio grabbed her roughly, his fingers digging deeply into her arms.

"Don't ever. do that. again."

His voice was icy, sending a shiver down her spine. That was the second time in the past three days she had heard those words. But when Soujiro said it...it was different somehow. It didn't seem as menacing. When Shishio said it, it made her cringe.

"I-I wont."

He stood there for a minute longer, his fingers digging in to her arms painfully. Finally he let go and walked out, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Yumi stared after him, rubbing her arms. Apparently Soujiro wasn't the only one who was becoming increasingly violent.

She heard a click to her right, and turned to see a robe-and-slippers clad Soujiro shuffle into the room, looking every bit like a sleepwalker.

"Yumi, have you seen Isis?" He whispered hoarsely.

Yumi shook her head. "No, I haven't."

His shoulders slumped and he stared at the floor for a moment. He had looked everywhere for her, where could she be? Slowly he cocked his head to the side and looked up at Yumi from under his bangs. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." She said, slightly dazed and still rubbing her arms. "I'm fine."

Soujiro shuffled over to her till he stood right in front of her, staring deep into her eyes. Her breath caught. It was such a strange feeling...a kind of giddyness...

"You sure?"

Yumi nodded, breaking herself away from his penetrating gaze. "Yes Soujiro, I'm fine."

Soujiro sighed and turned around slowly, as if to leave, but instead he just stood there. Yumi raised an eyebrow. Why was he just standing there? Maybe he was trying to think of where his cat could be.

"Yumi?"

Yumi jumped slightly. His voice was now clear and strong and held a commanding note; a stark contrast to the tired, hoarse whisper he talked in before.

"What?"

Slowly Soujiro turned back around and shuffled closer to her, till they were almost touching. "Don't let him treat you like that. You don't deserve to be treated so badly. You've done so much for the two of us, and he's never even thanked you for it. Just...don't let him treat you that way, Yumi. Please."

Yumi blinked. Had he witnessed the whole incident? Had he seen other incidents?

Before she could respond, Soujiro turned away and shuffled back into the other room, leaving Yumi standing alone in the dark. She had never imagined Soujiro would say something like that. Soujiro...who would either scream at you, or bury his head in the sand. She looked at the doorway that led into the adjoining suite, Soujiro's suite. The door was now closed, but she could hear Soujiro calling "Here kitty, kitty, kitty..." in his tired voice. She shook her head. The whole thing left her feeling...odd.

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Kaoru sighed nervously. She had called to invite her brother to dinner the night before, and he had sounded unusually out of it. He said he had a promo in the morning, but he was sure dinner would be fine. Then he mentioned something about Yumi and his missing cat. She listened to him complain about not being able to find his cat for another ten minutes before she finally convinced him that he needed to get to sleep for the promo.

She was worried. As much as she wanted to tell everyone the news, she wasn't sure how Soujiro would take it.

"Are you okay?"

Kaoru smiled at Kenshin and nodded a bit too exuberantly. Kenshin couldn't help but chuckle.

"I'm sure everything will be just fine. What's the worst that could happen?"

Kaoru shook her head. "I don't know...he could try to beat you up."

Kenshin shrugged and put his arm around Kaoru. "I'm sure he won't."

Kaoru smiled and leaned her head on his shoulder, but straightened up suddenly when she noticed Soujiro entering the restaurant. She noticed him stop and stare at their table, obviously wondering why Kenshin was there.

He forced a smile and continued on.

"Hey Sou!"

Soujiro smiled a little wider. "Hey sis." He turned to Kenshin and gave a slight bow. "Hello, Mister Himura. Kaoru didn't tell me you would be joining us."

"Oh?" Was all Kenshin said in reply.

Soujiro sat down and looked at Kaoru expectantly.

Kaoru cleared her throat. "Well, I...I guess I better get this over and done with..."

"Would you like me to tell him?" Kenshin asked quietly. Kaoru shook her head.

They both looked at Soujiro, who was now looking back and forth between the two of them, obviously quite worried.

"Tell me what?"

There was a long silence. Finally Kaoru took a deep breath, and spoke.

"Kenshin and I are getting married!"

There was no response from Soujiro. His expression did not change, he did not speak a word. Kaoru and Kenshin looked at each other.

"Um...we're getting married." Kenshin repeated.

Soujiro turned to him sharply and shot him a venomous look. "I heard her the first time." He turned back to Kaoru and forced a smile. "Congratulations." Suddenly he stood. "I have to go."

"Oh, please stay!" Kaoru begged.

Soujiro shook his head. "I still haven't found Isis." He turned slightly and gave them an odd look. "I hope the two of you are very happy together."

With that, he turned and quickly walked out.

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Married! His sister was getting married! The thought almost made him want to cry. His sister, whom he had protected all these years, was no longer going to be there for him. Not that he ever really turned to her for comfort, but still, it was nice knowing that she was there. Now she wasn't going to be. She didn't need him anymore. Well, she didn't really need him when she was younger, either. She was a strong girl. But still, he enjoyed protecting her. It was what big brothers were for.

He sighed and shoved his hands further down in his pockets as he continued down the strip. The lights shone brightly, a symbol of hope and the desire for wealth. City lights never ceased to fascinate him, and the Vegas Strip was a particularly beautiful sight. The bright lights comforted him, instilled a feeling of warmth.

Warmth.

Something he hadn't felt for a long time.

.........................................................................................................

Oh goodness, I had **such** a hard time with this chappie! I'm sorry for the long wait y'all. Like I said, I'm having a hard time. I've very little spare time nowadays (as my friend David never ceases to remind me) so it will probably be a while for the next chapter.

Their ages are, for the record, as follows:

Soujiro: 23

Shishio: 35

Yumi: 24

Kaoru: 21

Kenshin: 27

Sano: 26 (I hear he's only something like 19 in the show)

Megumi: 28

I hope no one gets mad at me for their ages lol. Obviously, Kaoru, Soujiro, Sano and Megumi are a little older than in the show. I think Kenshin is a little younger (?), and Shishio and Yumi are actually the same as in the show.

Please don't kill me yet! With any luck, there will be some romance in the next chappie.

And just in case you're wondering, no I don't live in Las Vegas (have I mentioned that they're in Las Vegas? I don't remember. I know the Bellagio holds a lot of boxing championships so I figured Vegas was a good setting). I actually live in Northern California. Home of the Laci Peterson Murder Trial.

To those of you who are offended by my swearing (i.e. My Cousin), I offer my sincerest apologies, but I have two decent excuses!

I hate blocking out words. It disrupts my chain of thought, both while writing and reading.

C'mon y'all, let's face it, Shishio just isn't the kind of guy who would say 'Gosh Darn it!' lol

I may have to raise the rating eventually.

Anyhoo, if you want me to continue, review! And thank you to all of my previous reviewers. Y'all are the pudding on my ice cream :-).


	4. Chapter 4

If any of my readers happen to be a fan of the Shishio/Yumi pairing, you may not want to continue reading this fic. I myself am actually a fan of Shishio and Yumi (c'mon folks, their love is TIMELESS!!), but I've also, obviously, taken a fancy to Soujiro and Yumi.

I am actually attempting to write an Alternate Universe Shishio/Yumi pairing, but Shishio is a very difficult character to write (kinda like Saito), so I have no idea if or when I'll post it. In the mean time, I will recommend all of you to the fic Oiran by Haku Baiku. It's the best Shishio/Yumi fic out there.(heck, it's one of the ONLY Shishio/Yumi fics out reviews: 

Sora: Yeah, I know that feeling too. Yes, Isis will be fine, I don't know why I made her disappear, I just wanted to have a subject for conversation, I guess lol (My cat disappears on me all the time and I worry myself sick over it. That's kinda what I'm basing this on.) I'm so glad you like it. Thanks for reviewing!

Tenken's Lover: lol Yeah, he is perfect, isn't he? lol I'm glad you like it! Here's your update, thanks for reviewing!

Mysterious Samurai: :-) I'm glad. Sorry it has taken a while for the update…I haven't exactly had writer's block, because I know where I'm going with the story, it's just that I can think of, like, 5 or 6 different ways to get there and I can't decide which way to go! lol Thanks for reviewing!

One Weirdo (A.k: Curious Reader oO): lol Here's your update, thanks for reviewing!

Sagara Akio: Yeah, he is OOC. It's just easier this way, because if he were nice to Yumi I'd feel guilty about Soujiro taking her away! lol Yup, they're definitely going to get into trouble lol. Thanks for reviewing!

Musicnerd101: Why, thank you! I'm honored :-D lol. I'm so glad you like it!

Cathy Mark: I'm glad. Er…well, not exactly kick ass, no, that's not till a few chappies later. Thanks for reviewing!

Erica Madarine: Yes, there will hopefully be some romance in this chapter. Yes, he will eventually lol. Well, I don't know if you'll see how he fights, per se, as I don't know anything about boxing…but…yeah. :-) Thanks for reviews:

Hariko tanaka: Thank you! lol such kind words :-) . Thanks for reviewing!

Silent Tears of Agony: You found me! lol Thank you sweetie.

If I Should Fall

Chapter 4

_- You're waiting for someone _

_To put you together _

_You're waiting for someone to push you away _

_There's always another _

_Wound to discover _

_There's always something more you wish he'd say _

_He's everything you want _

_He's everything you need_

_He's everything inside of you _

_That you wish you could be _

_He says all the right things _

_At exactly the right time _

_But he means nothing to you _

_And you don't know why -_

"Yumi…why hasn't Mister Shishio married you yet?"

The question came out of nowhere, making Yumi blink and look up from her book. The dim light made Soujiro look even more tired than usual, the one small lamp casting shadows across his face, making his eyes look sunken in. He was soaking wet and without a jacket. Yumi regarded him curiously.

"I don't know. Why?"

Soujiro shuffled over and sat down on the edge of the chair next to her. The rain pelted down outside and wind rattled the windowpane. It was a freak storm that had come on suddenly, from out of nowhere, and it made a depressing atmosphere in the room.

"Kao is getting married." He said suddenly, after a long silence.

Yumi smiled. "Congratulations."

Soujiro was silent again. He scowled at the shadows that stretched across the floor.

"I take it you're not very thrilled." She noted.

Soujiro cocked his head to the side as he always did when he was thinking. "People get married when they love each other, don't they?"

"I suppose."

Soujiro was silent again. Yumi slid the bookmark back into her book and set it on the table beside her.

"I guess I just don't really get it." He murmured.

"Get what?"

"I don't know."

Yumi rolled her eyes. This was one of those nights where he didn't make any sense.

He slid back in the chair and stared at the floor. "I feel like Kaoru doesn't need me anymore, now that she's getting married. I keep trying to tell myself that it's for the best, that she loves him and he could take better care of her than I ever could…but if people get married because they love each other, why hasn't Shishio married you?"

Yumi didn't respond, making Soujiro look over at her. She was now scowling at the floor.

"Maybe he doesn't love you?"

"MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, YOU LITTLE TWIT!!!!"

Soujiro jumped and leaned away from her. She glared at him murderously. "I'm sorry, Miss Yumi! I didn't mean anything by it!"

Slowly, very slowly, Yumi began to calm down. She had always asked herself the same question. Why hadn't Shishio married her? She used to think he loved her, but now she wasn't so sure.

She started when she realized Soujiro was now crouched in front of her. She had not noticed him moving, she had been so lost in her own thoughts.

"He doesn't, does he?"

Again, she glared at him. But she couldn't bring herself to scream at him. What would she be screaming at him for? For being right? She sighed and let her head fall into her hands.

Soujiro studied the beautiful woman that sat crying in front of him. It seemed her life wasn't much better than his. Slowly he stood, sat on the arm of her chair and pulled her towards him in an effort to comfort.

"I'm very sorry Miss Yumi. I didn't mean to upset you."

Yumi raised a tear-streaked face up to him. "Then why did you ask?"

Soujiro looked at the floor, as if it would hold the answer. It was a very good question, indeed. Why _did_ he ask?

He sighed and ran his free hand through his hair. He had never seen Yumi so distraught. She was crying again…wailing, was more like it, her face buried in her hands.

Soujiro leaned a little closer to her.

"Yumi?" He asked softly.

She did not respond.

"Yumi, I'm sorry. Please don't cry."

"He doesn't love me!" She wailed between sobs.

"That's not true Yumi. He loves you very much. We all do."

Minutes ticked by with Soujiro gently comforting her, until she finally quieted down. She leaned against him, muffling her few remaining sobs into his chest.

"Yumi, it's late, I'm sure you're tired, why don't you try to get some sleep?"

Slowly Yumi pulled away from him and nodded. Soujiro reached over to a nearby table and grabbed a few tissues, handing them to Yumi.

"Thank you."

Soujiro nodded. "I'm sorry I made you upset, Yumi."

Yumi blew her nose then shook her head. "It's not your fault. Everything you said is true. I just…I just can't bring myself to face it."

Soujiro only looked at her, unsure of what to say. Finally he cleared his throat. "Um…Yumi…have you seen Isis?"

"All you ever think about is that damn cat."

Soujiro began to fidget uncomfortably, and wished for some music. "Well…she's…the only person who cares about me."

Yumi turned to look at him, surprised by the comment. He stood and slowly shuffled into his adjacent room.

"Soujiro?"

He did not answer.

"Soujiro…"

He shut the door behind him. Yumi sighed.

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Soujiro paced in irritation. That woman had a lot of nerve to say what she did about Isis. Isis was not a 'damn cat'! Isis was his best friend! His only friend…

Isis.

Where was she? It had been an entire day now since he had last seen her. She had never been gone this long before. He stopped and sighed. He needed music. Listening to the pattern of the rain pounding down outside was extremely depressing, as if he wasn't depressed enough already.

He turned and walked over to his stereo, unsure of which CD's he had loaded, and moreover, didn't care. He just pushed play, not caring what artist it was or what song came on. He just wanted something to loose himself in.

He collapsed on the foot of his bed. He didn't feel like moving.

The opening stanza began to play, and, much to his chagrin, the song made his mind turn back to Isis, and then to Yumi, and then to Kaoru.

He got up and began pacing. The walls began to feel like they were closing in around him. It was a feeling of suffocation, of dizziness, and of anxiety. In the back of his mind he knew he had taken too many anti-depressants, but he didn't think about that now. He had to get out; he just couldn't stand here anymore.

He all but ran to his door and flung it open, glancing around the sitting room, expecting to see Yumi, but she was not there. He stopped and thought for a moment. If she wasn't in the sitting room, she had to be in her bedroom. Walking quickly across the room, he flung her bedroom door open, and was greeted by a resounding scream.

Soujiro stood in awe of the sight that was before him:

Yumi was dressed in nothing but a black lace corset, bent at an odd angle to try and unfasten her back garter straps.

"SOUJIRO!! For heaven's sake, don't you knock!?"

Soujiro swallowed hard, unable to take his eyes off of her.

"I'm…I'm sorry, Miss Yumi."

"Well get out!"

"Oh…uhhhh…um…yeah, sorry."

He finally pulled his eyes from her and turned away, walking out the door, but before closing it, he stopped and turned back around.

"Umm, Miss Yumi?"

Yumi sighed and rolled her eyes. "What?"

"I'm going out. Please keep your eyes open for Isis. I'm really worried about her."

Yumi said nothing as he turned and headed back out the door, then once again, suddenly stopped and turned back around.

"Miss Yumi?"

"What!?"

"You're very beautiful."

Yumi stood with her mouth agape as he turned and finally left.

The evening just kept getting stranger and stranger.

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_We lay my love and I beneath the weeping willow._

_But now alone I lie and weep beside the tree._

_Singing "Oh willow waly" by the tree that weeps with me._

_Singing "Oh willow waly" till my lover return to me._

_We lay my love and I beneath the weeping willow._

_A broken heart have I. Oh willow I die, oh willow I die._

In his sleep Soujiro smiled. In his dreams his mother's voice was as clear as day. There was always one particular lullaby she would always sing to him. It was an Irish song she had heard from a friend. This night he dreamed that he was a boy again, that he was lying with his head on his mother's lap, long before his brother died, long before his father left, long before he and Kaoru were taken away. In his dream, he could smell her soft lavender scent, a scent his older brother loved so much he had taken to wearing it. Her lap was soft. It was afternoon, the sun was coming in through the curtains of the old ranch house, and his mother worked on a needlepoint while Soujiro napped on her lap. He could hear sounds of his father and brother working outside. But the sounds began to grow faint. He thought he heard his mother calling to him, but yet she was still singing, however faintly.

"Soujiro?"

Her lavender scent began to drift away, and he no longer felt her lap so distinctly.

"Soujiro?"

Soujiro slowly opened his eyes, and realized with much sadness that it had all been a dream. Yumi stood before him, Isis in her arms.

"Soujiro, I found Isis."

Soujiro blinked several times, trying to get his eyes to focus. It apparently was still night, and still raining. He felt a small amount of weight on the bed, and looked over to find Yumi setting Isis down beside him. He smiled.

"Where did you find her?" He asked quietly.

"She had somehow gotten locked in the closet." Yumi sat down on the bed. "She ran out when I opened the door just now. I guess she had fallen asleep in there last night and I closed the door on her without realizing it."

Soujiro smiled while petting the cat. "What time is it?"

"Two o'clock in the morning. I couldn't sleep. Hey, where did you go when you left earlier?"

"I just took a walk. I wasn't feeling good. Umm…I'm sorry about walking in on you."

" 'Sokay. Makoto does all the time." Yumi said as she noticed that he was beginning to fall back to sleep. She couldn't help but smile. What a long way Soujiro had come since the day they met. She could remember, like it was yesterday, how Shishio brought Soujiro home like a little lost puppy. His hair was long and unbrushed, he had at least seven piercings in each ear, not to mention his tongue and eyebrow. He was dressed completely in black, including black nail polish. But the music he listened to, and the tattoo he sported did not in any way reflect his appearance, or his behavior.

It was a very simple tattoo, Yumi had seen it several times. It was not a Union Jack, or an Iron Cross. It did not proclaim that he was a rebel, nor did it depict a spider's web, or skull, or anything else that would suit a punk-bordering-on-goth. It was medium-sized, directly over his heart, and depicted a piece of rope tied in a knot. Below it was Japanese kanji. Even though Yumi herself was Japanese, she had only rudimentary knowledge of her native language, and virtually no knowledge of kanji, but Shishio has once told her that it meant "Family". Soujiro refused to comment on it. Not to Shishio, not to Yumi, and certainly not to the press. It had always made her wonder what had happened to his family. He never talked about them, with the exemption of Kaoru. He never showed anyone any pictures of them, either. Yet he walked around with a tattoo that said "family".

She smiled and brushed some hair away from his closed eyes. He still never brushed his hair, but at least it was shorter. She leaned forward and gently kissed his forehead, careful not to wake him.

Looking at him, she couldn't help but wonder. What would happen to her lost little puppy?

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Yeah, this one is a little shorter, and I apologize for that, but if I had written more I would have started a new scene and then I would have had to keep working on it for another month and I just don't feel like doing that.

Thank you so much to all of my reviewers! I love you all!!

Yes, there will be more romance in the next chappie, hopefully.


	5. Chapter 5

MagicalGirl: lol I really enjoyed your review. It's not often that people track me down on the net to answer my questions lol (usually people ignore me lol). Do you by any chance know if the website got the info from the manga? I'm so glad you like the story I'm also glad you like my username. So far I've never gotten feedback on my usernames. lol I've changed them so many times it's ridiculous! But I hope to stick to this one…I like it, it suits me. Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing!

Grey Wolf4: I'm glad you like it Thanks for reviewing!

Charming Woman: Why, do you want there to be?

Tenken's Lover: Drool away, girly, I do all the time! lol Yes, he is adorable, isn't he? lol Here's more…

Mysterious Samurai: lol I'm glad you like it Here's the update.

Random Person: lol That's the idea. Thanks for reviewing!

Smiling Blue-Clad Wanderer's Obsessor: Do you know how many people I have asked whether or not it was rushed? And they all said "No". Finally, someone who agrees with me! I have a difficult time with pacing, and now that I know that it is rushed, I will try and slow it down. But what exactly am I missing?

Joker: I'm so glad! Here's your update. Thanks for reviewing!

Chikki-chan: I'm glad you like it, thanks for reviewing!

Smiling Rose: lol Yes, we do need more! Lol

Anonymous T: Thanks!

Sora: Yeah! lol Yes, they do need each other lol. Thanks for reviewing.

Reviewer: "Or Else", eh? lol I'm glad you like it. Here is the update, so please don't torture me or anything.

Sex-Craze: Ooooookay, I'll try, but I'm not guaranteeing anything. Thanks for reviewing lol

Insane Old Owl: lol I like your username. Here's your update, thanks for reviewing!

Shojo Mizu: Wow, you're from Brazil! That's so cool! I've got readers from all over the world now! lol Yes, I definitely agree with you about Soujiro lol I'm so glad you like my fic. Thanks for reviewing!

I'm glad that changing my name so many times hasn't confused y'all too much. I'm just never satisfied with my name. Hopefully I'll keep it as 'Night Imp' for a while now.

Many, many thanks to my sweet Sobrina-chan for putting me on to the lyrics that I quote in this chapter. They are those of 'Breaking the Habit' by Linkin Park.

If I Should Fall

Chapter 5

By Night Imp

_- Memories consume_

_Like opening the wound_

_I'm picking me apart again_

_You all assume_

_I'm safe here in my room_

_Unless I try to start again_

_I don't want to be the one_

_The battles always choose_

_'Cause inside I realize_

_That I'm the one confused_

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_I don't know why I instigate_

_And say what I don't mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I know it's not alright_

_So I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit_

_Tonight_

_Clutching my cure_

_I tightly lock the door_

_I try to catch my breath again_

_I hurt much more_

_Than anytime before_

_I had no options left again_

_I dont want to be the one_

_The battles always choose_

_'Cause inside I realize_

_That I'm the one confused_

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_I don't know why I instigate_

_And say what I don't mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I'll never be alright_

_So, I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit_

_Tonight_

_I'll paint it on the walls_

_'Cause I'm the one at fault_

_I'll never fight again_

_And this is how it ends_

_I don't know what's worth fighting for_

_Or why I have to scream_

_But now I have some clarity_

_to show you what I mean_

_I don't know how I got this way_

_I'll never be alright_

_So, I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit_

_I'm breaking the habit_

_Tonight -_

Soujiro had been crouched in the shower for hours, letting the hot water run on the bruises and cuts that covered his back. They couldn't touch him in the bathroom. He would lock the door. They would pound, they would scream, they would threaten and complain, but they could not touch him. His ankles ached because he had been crouched for so long, but he did not want to sit down. The grime that covered all of the surfaces in that house disgusted him, particularly in the bathroom. Years of hair and dirt and mold and god only knows what else had built up on the floor, on the shower curtain, everywhere imaginable. Soujiro could barely stand to walk on it with shoes, let alone touch it with any other part of his body.

But that was then. Now he lay on the floor of the bathroom in the Presidential Suite of the Bellagio in Las Vegas, overwhelmed by nausea. It was a side effect of the anti-depressants . . . or the painkillers. Or was it the tranquilizers? He wasn't really sure, and at any rate, he didn't particularly care. All that he cared about was ways to alleviate the nausea. His latest technique was thinking about things that he enjoyed: Isis curled right on top of his face while he was still half-asleep in the morning. Having lunch with Kaoru at a nice restaurant.

Comforting Yumi when she was crying.

For a moment he forgot the discomfort of the side effects as he began to think of his manager's girlfriend. If his father, his real father, had been there, he probably would have told Soujiro that Soujiro needed to come to terms with his feelings. Soujiro himself knew he should. But he wasn't sure that he really wanted to. Yumi hated him (and had every right to!), and if Mister Shishio found out the way Soujiro felt toward Yumi, Shishio would hate him too. It was a can of worms that he did not want to open up.

But his mind slowly wandered away, and he became painfully aware that he was still nauseous.

He was also painfully aware that he was lying on a cold tile floor.

His eyes shot open and he looked around, for no better reason than to ensure that the floor was clean. He could not help but remember his foster parent's house and their disgusting floors. The bathroom floor that he had once fallen on (that his foster brother had thrown him on, to be more accurate) in particular. But he was no longer there, and he had to keep reminding himself of that.

Presently there was a knock on the door, bringing Soujiro back into reality, or at least some form of it. He didn't bother to respond to the knock. He really wasn't sure that he wanted anyone to know he was sick again.

"Soujiro, are you in there?" Yumi called through the door. Still, Soujiro said nothing. "Soujiro, Makoto wants to see you."

Still, Soujiro couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Soujiro?" Yumi asked one last time before finally turning to leave.

Soujiro closed his eyes again, and lay there for another two hours.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Asked Yumi when Soujiro finally came shuffling over to her suite.

"Ummm…out." He said, hoping she would believe him. He really did not want to tell her that he had been sick again. He stopped for a minute and studied her; She was wearing a shower cap, a robe, and was slathering honey on her face. "Yumi…what on earth are you doing?"

"Making a home-made mask. Honey is very good for your skin! It's anti-bacterial…gives your skin a radiant glow…here, sit down."

Soujiro studied her for a moment before slowly sliding into the chair next to her. Humming merrily, she rubbed some honey on her hands and slid over to Soujiro, who instinctively backed away.

"It's just honey, it's not going to hurt you!"

"But…it's sticky."

"That's why you take a shower afterwards! Now come here."

Soujiro made no effort to move. "Miss Yumi, are you drunk?"

"Of course not! What makes you think that?"

"You're just so cheerful. I've never seen you so cheerful before."

"Then you've never seen me when I'm shoe-shopping. Come here." She stood and leaned over him, so the only way to get away from her would have been to push her aside. He cringed as Yumi began slathering honey on his face. At first he did not particularly care for the feeling, but slowly he began to enjoy it.

"Miss Yumi?"

"Mmmm?"

"Why do you have your hair in a shower cap?"

"Olive oil treatment."

"What?"

"Olive oil treatment. It's the best conditioner there is for your hair." Suddenly she grinned. "You know, your hair could use conditioning!"

"Uh…n-no…no, it's fine."

"Oh, c'mon. You want the girls to like you, don't ya?" She reached over and grabbed the bottle of olive oil. "This will make your hair so soft." She turned and began pouring the oil on Soujiro's head. "You'll thank me afterwards. Trust me."

Well, Soujiro had always wanted a nice, sensual evening alone with Yumi, but this wasn't exactly what he had in mind.

"So, um, what did Shishio want to talk to me about?" Soujiro wanted to talk about something, anything, to get his mind off of that horrible liquid that was slowly running down his scalp.

"Mmmm…he didn't say. He just said he wanted to talk to you. When I couldn't find you he got angry and left."

Soujiro hated it when Shishio got angry. Shishio was downright scary when he got angry, and it would remind Soujiro all too much of his foster father.

"Now," he heard a crinkling sound, and realized that he had been completely unaware of the fact that Yumi had left the room to get another shower cap. "We put the shower cap on and leave this in for half an hour, 'kay?"

Soujiro groaned.

Suddenly Yumi got down on her knees with a big grin. "Soujiro, can I paint your nails?"

"Uh…" Soujiro's eyes grew wide. "…uh…no…thank you Yumi, but…you've been doing a lot lately…why don't you rest for a while?" He had been slowly getting up out of the chair the entire time he was talking, and began to back out of the room. "Thanks Yumi, but…yeah."

He turned and shut the door to his suite behind him, leaving Yumi kneeling by the chair, still not entirely sure what she had said to warrant such a reaction.

Soujiro looked around. The first thing he was going to do was take a shower and wash that horrible stuff out of his hair. Then, he was going out. He felt rather bad about leaving Yumi the way he did, but he was not going to let his nails get painted. Of course, if it was black he wouldn't mind, but no. She had red, pink, purple, blue, pink, and more pink, and frankly, he was not going to be caught dead in the color pink.

His mood began to improve as he let the water run on his back, thinking up a plan for the night. It had been a while since he had gone out and really enjoyed himself, and he felt it was about time to do so.

He pulled his suitcase out of the closet, and from it pulled his favorite old clothes from before he met Shishio.

Yes, tonight he was going to enjoy himself.

* * *

Hardly anyone would have recognized the goth-bordering-on-punk boy as Soujiro, and in Soujiro's opinion, that was a very good thing. He didn't particularly want to be recognized tonight. What was even better was that he was even harder to recognize in the darkened nightclub. Perched on a barstool, he sipped a screwdriver and quietly watched his iniquitous surroundings. He had learned over the years that people were very interesting to watch. Everyone had some sort of bizarre idiosyncrasy that made him or her unique.

Occasionally a girl would come by, flirt and make small talk, or try to get him to dance. He would smile and politely turn her down. Really, that had not been his intention when he decided to go there, but he couldn't get one girl out of his mind.

Yumi.

He hated it. He had come here to forget her for a while, but he found that he just thought about her more. He downed his drink and asked the bartender for another.

A shout came from the other end of the bar, and Soujiro turned to witness two boys starting to fight. He sipped his drink. It seemed no matter where he went nowadays that he could not escape his life. Shishio had found him in a bar. He had gotten into a fight. He was always getting into fights with one person or another.

He was lost in his thoughts again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find Kaoru standing beside him, much to his surprise and delight. "Kao, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk to you." She said as she sat on the barstool next to Soujiro, "I've been kinda worried about you since you ran out of the restaurant."

Soujiro swirled his drink around in the glass and mumbled an apology. Kaoru sighed.

"Sou, I'm not looking for an apology. I just what to know what's up with you. Why have you been acting so . . . hostile?"

Soujiro gave a humorless chuckle and took a sip of his drink. "I'm a boxer Kao, it's what I do."

"But this is different. You're acting oh I don't know, not like yourself." She laid a hand on his. "Has something happened to you?"

Soujiro shrugged. "People change."

She looked at him earnestly. "Not like this. If something is wrong, please, Kenshin and I will help you as much as you need."

Soujiro hmmphed. "Kenshin." The name came out more derisively than he had meant it to. "I remember when I was the one helping you with your troubles." Soujiro spoke more to himself than to Kaoru.

Kaoru's eyebrows rose. "Is that what this is about? You think Kenshin is replacing you?"

Soujiro hunched his shoulders. "Yes . . . no . . . I don't know. Isn't he?"

"Sou, you're my brother. I'll always need you." She smiled at him. "Who will I complain to when Kenshin annoys me?"

"From what I've heard the man can do no wrong."

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Believe me he's definitely not perfect." She reached her arms around him and squeezed. "I love you, no matter what."

Kenshin came up behind Kaoru and set a drink down next to her. "So, is everything okay now?"

Kaoru stepped back from her brother and laced her fingers with Kenshin's. "I think there are still some things to work out, but he's being stubborn. Anyway, we had a nice talk and hopefully we straightened out one issue."

Soujiro stood up. "I guess I should go now."

"Oh no you don't mister. You're not running away this time. I want to visit with you. And I want you and Kenshin to get to know each other."

Soujiro slumped a little. "Oh, okay."

Kenshin laughed a little. "I'll try not to make it too painful of an experience. Only I hope you don't mind if we go some place else. Some place where I can hear myself think."

Soujiro shrugged. "Sure, I guess."

* * *

"How long are you going to be in Las Vegas?" Soujiro asked as he leaned forward and picked up the drink Kenshin had fixed. He knew Kenshin was an amazing boxer- just as good as himself, no doubt- and therefore knew Kenshin didn't stay in one place for very long.

Kenshin shrugged. "I'm not sure. My manager, Sano, wants to set up another fight. I told him I want to wait till after Kao and I get married."

"Who does he want you to fight?"

Kenshin hesitated and glanced between Kaoru and Soujiro. Sano had just told him yesterday, and Kenshin was none too happy about it, nor was he anxious to tell anyone, what with the already difficult situation that faced him regarding Soujiro. He cleared his throat. "You."

Kaoru looked up with surprise and Soujiro blinked. "Me?" He squeaked.

Kenshin nodded. Oh, how this complicated things.

* * *

Yay! 5th chappie done :D Woo-hoo!

Many, many, many thanks to my wonderful cousin and best friend, Sobrina-kun (A.K.A My sweetie) for helping me with the ending (actually, for helping me with this entire chapter. I had writer's block )

I just bought myself a brand new Mac Mini (computer, that is) since my PC was acting inordinately sadistic and evil. I swear, it is the most amazing, drool-worthy computer you will ever find! But seeing as how it is a Mac and my PC is inordinately old, it's gonna take a while to get all of my files transferred…and therefore it will probably take me a while to post the next chapter.

Many, many thanks to Sobrina-kun and all of my wonderful reviewers. :D I hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Much love,

Night Imp


	6. Chapter 6

**Musicnerd101:** :bats eyelashes: You always have such kind words. :) Thanks so much! I think my cousins would disagree with you, though, that I have good taste in music lol. I'll never forget the look my Sobrina-kun shot me one day when I gave her a ride and decided to turn on Pink Floyd. :) As to why Kenshin didn't tell Kaoru sooner…honestly, I didn't think of that -- I'll try to address it…eventually. lol

"**Oro" Object:** More!

**Tenken's Amour:** Thanks!

**Hana Yori Dango:** lol I'm glad you like it :) Consider it updated.

**Mummy:** lol Thanky

**Chikky-chan:** lol Thanks. I'm sorry it takes me so long to update. I'm trying to focus on quality over quantity, so it takes me a little longer to write…

**Random Person:** :grins back:

**Grey Wolf 4:** Thanks:laughs nervously: Actually, no, I've never watched any boxing movies lol I don't know anything about boxing (I have a lot of nerve writing a fic about boxing then, don't I?) But I will take that as a compliment and thank you again!

**gabyhyatt:** Yeah…sorry, I can't think of an explanation right now.

51 reviews! I'm catching up to Sobrina-kun! lol

**Woo-hoo! I'm already on the 6th chapter. That's like…wow. I can't believe I've stayed interested in it for this long. With any luck, I'll stay interested right up to the very end. :) Again, thank you to all of my reviewers!**

Also, it has occurred to me that Shishio doesn't appear in here very often. Sorry, folks. I kinda…forgot about him. -- Plus he's a difficult character to write. So I will try to give him some more appearances. (Although somehow I doubt that anyone actually missed him)

The lyrics quoted are that of Trying, by Lifehouse (This is actually the song that I got the title of this story from).

**If I Should Fall **

**Chapter 6 **

By Night Imp

_Could you let down your hair _

_And be transparent for a while _

_Just a little while _

_To see if your human after all _

_Honesty is a hard attribute to find _

_When we all want to seem like we've got it all figured out _

_Let me be the first to say that I don't have a clue _

_I don't have all the answers _

_And god I pretend like I do just _

_Trying to find my way _

_Trying to find my way the best that I know how _

_Well I haven't memorized all of the cute things to say _

_But I'm working on it _

_Maybe I'll master this art form someday _

_If I quote all the lines off the top of my head _

_Will you believe _

_That I fully understand all these things I've read _

_I'm just trying to find my way _

_Trying to find my way _

_Trying to find my way the best that I know how _

_Well I haven't got it all figured out quite yet _

_But even if it takes my whole life _

_To get to where I need to be _

_And if I should fall to the bottom of the end _

_I'll be one step back to you _

_I'm trying to find my way _

_Trying to find my way _

_Oh, I'm trying to find my way _

_Trying to find my way -_

Soujiro stared into his glass. This was a very bad turn of events. He most certainly did not want to fight his sister's fiancé, no matter how much he didn't like Kenshin, and no matter how famous it would make him. In fact, if anything, it was one more reason for him to _not_ fight Kenshin; Soujiro had never wanted to be famous.

He set his glass down on the coffee table and cleared his throat. "I should be going."

Kaoru's eyes widened. "Oh Soujiro, don't worry about the fight. I'm sure we can talk Sano out of it."

Kenshin nodded in agreement. "I'm sure we can, please stay."

Soujiro shook his head. "No…I…need to get going."

Kenshin and Kaoru watched in silence as he left. "He still doesn't like me very much." Kenshin said after the door was shut.

Kaoru sighed. "It's not you, it's just…he's always been very possessive. Of me, of his animals, of his things…just everything."

"I doubt that telling him about the fight helped any."

"It's not your fault, he would have found out sooner or later." She stared into her glass, slowly swirling the liquid around. "He's been acting strange lately."

* * *

Yumi stood at the counter and watched as Soujiro walked in. She really had not expected him back so early. He seemed even more withdrawn and depressed than he had been earlier, and that worried her. She picked up her teacup and turned to face him. "What's wrong, Sou?"

"Leave me alone."

She raised an eyebrow as he walked into his suite and slammed the door. He was always so moody lately, and frankly, it was beginning to annoy her.

Shishio walked out from the bedroom when he heard the door slam. "Is he back?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't seem to be in too good of a mood. Why don't you wait till tomorrow to talk to him?"

Shishio said nothing, but walked to the door of Soujiro's suite.

"Makoto…"

"Stay out of this, Yumi."

"Makoto, he's been having a difficult time lately, you need to lay off of him for a while."

Shishio slowly turned around to Yumi with a glare. "I've told you once to stay out of it, don't make me tell you again."

She froze. She knew that tone of voice. That cold, menacing tone of voice. He had never used it with her before; he only used it with other people. People that he did business with. It shocked her. "Do not talk to me like that."

"I can talk to you however I want, woman."

Yumi bristled. "How dare you…" she began, but stopped when Shishio walked over and grabbed her by her upper arms.

"Do not start this with me now." He growled as he tightened his grip.

She squirmed. "Makoto, you're hurting me."

He said nothing; only tightened his grip.

Yumi tried to pull away, without success. "Makoto…"

They stood there for another moment before he finally let go, turned, and stormed into Soujiro's suite. Yumi rubbed her arms where marks from his fingers could still be seen. She knew they would bruise.

* * *

Soujiro was lost. This was nothing new, for he really enjoyed being lost. On his laptop, with his headphones, listening to his music, he could completely ignore the world. Which was why he hadn't heard Shishio and Yumi arguing. If he had, he probably would have left. He hated yelling and arguments, even if they did not directly involve him. They reminded him too much of his childhood.

He jumped when his door flew open, surprised to see Shishio walking in. Soujiro was really not in the mood to talk to (or listen to) Shishio, but he knew from experience that there was nothing he could do about it.

"Take those headphones off." Shishio snapped. Soujiro did so. "I've scheduled you for another fight." He started pacing. "Sanosuke Sagara approached me today and suggested it…you know who Sagara is, don't you?"

Soujiro nodded. Unfortunately, yes, he did know who Sanosuke Sagara was.

"This is the biggest promotional opportunity we've had in over three years now. If you win this, you'll be completely undefeated. Your name will be everywhere…"

"Who am I fighting?" Soujiro interrupted with closed eyes, wishing he did not already know the answer.

"Kenshin Himura."

Soujiro sighed.

Shishio walked over to him. "This is the chance of a lifetime. Do you realize how much money this will bring in?"

In the other room, the phone rang. Shishio glanced out the door, then back to Soujiro. He stood there a few seconds longer before heading towards the other suite.

"I'm not going to fight him."

Shishio stopped. "You what?"

"I said I'm not going to fight him."

Shishio slowly turned and walked back over to Soujiro, a menacing glare in his eyes. "_I_ tell you whether or not you're going to fight." The phone continued to ring. "_I_ do. This is not open for discussion. I tell you who you're going to fight and when you're going to fight. Got that? You _will_ be fighting him, whether you want to or not." The phone still continued to ring, obviously grating on Shishio's nerves. "DAMMIT YUMI, ARE YOU EVER GOING TO GET THAT?"

"GET IT YOURSELF!"

Shishio stalked into the other suite and slapped Yumi before grabbing up the phone.

Yumi sat there, her hand to her cheek, stunned, watching Shishio. He had no right to slap her. He was not her father.

She sat and stared at the floor, listening to Shishio's conversation. It was someone he knew, and he sounded perfectly friendly, as if nothing was wrong. She rubbed her stinging cheek, stood and walked into the bedroom, slamming the door behind her. She was not going to allow herself to be slapped around like that. She would go away for a while, and let Shishio calm down. After all, he had never done this to her before.

She would come back and give him a second chance.

But for tonight, she was leaving.

* * *

Soujiro wasn't sure whether Shishio would come back in after the phone call or not, but he didn't want to take the chance. He hated being yelled at.

He threw on his jacket and walked out the door, stopping when he heard another door close nearby. He looked out to see Yumi walking out of the other suite.

"Miss Yumi, where are you going? It's late."

Yumi wrapped her sweater tighter around herself and walked past Soujiro in a hurry. "Out."

He started after her. "What?"

"I'm going out."

"Oh." He was silent for a moment but continued to walk with her till they got to the elevators. Yumi pressed the button and crossed her arms. "Well…may I come with you?" He asked in a timid voice.

Yumi shrugged indifferently and pressed the button again. At eleven thirty, the lavish hallway was silent. But at even the slightest noise both of them looked around anxiously to ensure that Shishio was not chasing after them. Again, Yumi pressed the button impatiently. "Why is this thing taking so long?"

Soujiro shoved his hands into his pockets and hunched his shoulders as he started to wonder exactly what he was going to do at eleven thirty at night with an angry Yumi. A bar wasn't her place, and he doubted that a nightclub would be, either. All she would do at a restaurant is sit there and fume silently, and more likely than not, she probably wouldn't want to see a movie. But presently the elevator doors slid open and they walked inside. Soujiro watched her but didn't say a word, which seemed to suit her just fine.

By the time they were out on the street it had started to drizzle again. It really was unusual for the time of year. Not that Soujiro minded walking in the rain- and in fact, Yumi didn't, either. To them, the rain felt like the bittersweet memory of an old friend smiling; an old friend that had left long ago. The rain was a strange sort of comfort.

Soujiro looked around, still wondering where to take Yumi. She seemed to just be walking around aimlessly, with her arms crossed and her head down. Soujiro smiled slightly, as he prided himself on the fact that he was, in essence, protecting Yumi. In a city like this, a woman walking around late at night, not aware of her surroundings was almost certain to get mugged- or worse.

After several minutes of walking, Soujiro noticed a 24-hour gym across the street. He stopped and smiled, an idea creeping into his mind.

"Miss Yumi?"

She took no notice and continued walking.

"Miss Yumi?"

Still, she continued walking. Soujiro quickly caught up to her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Miss Yumi?"

She stopped and looked at him. "What?"

Soujiro put his hand back in his pocket as the absurdity of his idea began to sink in. "Um…" He looked down and scuffed his foot. "Would you maybe like to go to the gym?"

Yumi raised an eyebrow and blinked. A gym? He wanted to go to a gym? Why would he want to go to a gym in the middle of the night? She shook her head in an effort to figure him out. "What?"

"There's a twenty-four hour gym over there," he gestured across the street, "I thought…maybe…um, you'd like to take out your aggression…or…something…" He cleared his throat and hunched his shoulders, and they stood silent for a moment.

"I could teach you how to use the speed bag." He ventured.

Yumi slowly began to smile. "Yeah…I guess."

* * *

"It's every third beat."

Yumi sighed and shook her head. "I don't get it."

"It's alright, it took me a while too. Try it again."

Yumi sighed again and for the fifth time tried to hit the bag. Hitting it was not the hard part; it was getting the rhythm down, and that seemed to be completely beyond her range of skills. Soujiro had hoped that this would calm her down, but all it had succeeded to do thus far was agitate her that much more.

She threw up her hands in irritation and walked away. "I can't! I just don't get it!"

Soujiro sighed and brushed his bangs out of his eyes. This was not working. "Um…" he stared at the floor, then suddenly reach out and grabbed Yumi, pulling her back over to the speed bag. "Here."

Standing behind her, he took her hand in his and once again hit the bag, alternating sides, so Yumi could get the feel of it. Yumi smiled as she finally began to understand; hit it on the third beat. You don't wait for three beats; you hit it on the third beat.

"The harder you hit it, the faster it goes."

Yumi grinned. The horrible evening that she had had suddenly got a great deal better as a sense of accomplishment set in.

Soujiro ran his hands back up her arms as he took a step back, watching as Yumi continued on. She certainly had a knack, once she got the hang of it. Yumi had a knack for a lot of things. Yumi was very talented. Shishio didn't seem to realize that; either that or he didn't care. Anger flared up inside of Soujiro as he began to think of the way Shishio had been treating Yumi as of late. Yumi deserved so much better.

Looking at the ground, lost in his thoughts, he didn't notice when Yumi turned around and took off her gloves. He didn't notice until she laid a hand on his cheek and gently turned his head to face her. She smiled at him and looked into his beautiful blue eyes.

"Thank you, Sou."

She leaned forward and gently kissed his lips, leaving him staring at her in shock when she pulled away.

"Uh…I…um…m…uhhhh…ummmm…" He licked his lips. "uhh…um…b-but…but…um…w-w-what…what…what about Mister Shishio?"

"What about him?"

"Well, I…I…I don't really really really want h-him killing me…"

Yumi smiled. "He doesn't need to know."

* * *

Hee hee I'm so totally horrible at writing romance. Strange, considering that all I ever read when I was nine were my grandma's romance novels. Although I guess those things really aren't very good examples.

It just occurred to be that I never really went into any depth about Shishio and Yumi's relationship. Yeah, the early chapters sucked really bad. I really should totally re-write this story.

Ha! Like I'm really ever going to do that.

People's opinions seem to vary as to Soujiro's eye color. My preference is brown, but whenever I say brown, I get a bunch of reviews where people not-so-politely inform me that his eyes are BLUE. So I figured I'd save myself the trouble and just go ahead and say they're blue.

Short update, I know. Sorry folks.


	7. Chapter 7

Due to ban on review responses, I will not be posting my review responses. My apologies. If you are upset about this, take it up with not me (I'm not the one who imposed the ban!).

**If I Should Fall**

**Chapter 7**

_By Night Imp_

Restaurants always seem to have really bad-tasting coffee.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_- Would you look at her_

_She looks at me_

_She's got me thinking about her constantly_

_But she don't know how I feel_

_And as she carries on without a doubt_

_I wonder if she's figured out_

_I'm crazy for this girl -_

Soujiro gently stirred his very bad-tasting coffee as he listened to the conversation coming from the booth behind him. It seemed the husband's ex-wife came back and wanted to marry him again, even though he had a fiancé who was about to have his baby, and the fiancé was none too happy about it all. It also didn't seem to help that the man was about to stand trial for embezzlement.

What a pickle they were in.

What a pickle he and Yumi were in.

Hell, what a pickle the _world_ was in.

He glanced across the table at Yumi, who was sipping tea and reading a newspaper, and for the hundredth time that night (or, actually, it was morning now), blushed in remembrance of her kiss. He certainly had not expected it. Not that he minded it; quite the contrary, he had thoroughly enjoyed it. But he hadn't been expecting it.

Without looking up, Yumi smiled slightly. "Would you stop staring at me?"

Again, Soujiro blushed. "Sorry." He looked out the window at the grayish pre-dawn sky, and began to think about Isis. She was probably wondering where he was. She was probably hungry.

What if Shishio left the door open and she ran out? This city was no place for a house cat. He shook his head and chided himself for worrying too much.

"Sorry 'bout the wait." The young blonde waitress said with a cheery smile as she brought their food.

"Oh, that's fine." Yumi murmured as she moved her newspaper and the waitress set their plates down,

"Anything else I can get you?"

They shook their heads.

"Okay, have a great day!" With that she set their check down on the table and walked off.

"I wonder what kind of mood Shishio will be in when we get back." Soujiro mused as he smothered his eggs in ketchup.

Yumi said nothing but pushed her hash browns around on her plate, and looked out the window.

"He usually calms down pretty quickly."

Yumi raised an eyebrow. "You act like he's done this before."

Soujiro nodded as if this was nothing to be surprised about.

"Where was I?"

Soujiro shrugged. "He's never really done it with you around."

Yumi frowned and looked back down at her plate without saying anything. Maybe she had over-reacted last night. But the fact remained that he had hit her, and she didn't like being slapped around. She sighed and thought it best to change the subject.

"Sou, have you ever had a girlfriend?"

"Huh? Who, me?"

"I think you're the only person sitting near to me named Sou."

"Oh. Uh, yeah, um, sorta. Not exactly…but um, sorta."

Yumi rolled her eyes. "Yes or no."

"Um…not exactly."

"What does 'not exactly' mean?"

"Um…it means that I kinda did but I kinda didn't." At Yumi's exasperated expression, he decided to explain. "We didn't exactly 'go out', per se, like you kinda think of when you say 'girlfriend' or whatever, but we kinda considered ourselves to be dating."

"So how long ago was this?"

Soujiro shrugged. "Back in high school, before I dropped out. Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious. I really don't know that much about you."

"Well, same goes for you. Like, how did you meet Mister Shishio?"

Yumi smiled and closed her eyes. "In a restaurant." She paused, "He told me I was too pretty to be working as a waitress."

Her eyes remained closed, and she continued to smile. Soujiro watched her. She smiled so beautifully when she thought about Shishio.

It was such a pity that he didn't do the same when he thought about her.

Yumi cleared her throat and opened her eyes, looking down at her plate.

Soujiro pushed his food around. "I'm really not very hungry."

"Neither am I."

"Maybe we should get a doggy bag." Soujiro caught the waitress's attention, and they remained silent as they waited.

And waited.

And waited.

"Hey…Sou? …Do you mind if I ask you…what do your parents think about all this? I mean, you know, the boxing."

Soujiro was silent and stared at his food as the waitress finally came with the doggy bags.

"Have a great day!" The waitress said cheerfully as she walked off.

Soujiro watched her, then looked back down at his plate. "Um…they're dead, so I don't think they really think much one way or the other."

"Oh." That explained a few things. "I'm sorry."

He shrugged. "'Sall right. It was a long time ago." He grabbed the doggy bag and began to fill it. "We should get going."

"Do you mind if I ask how they died?"

Soujiro sighed slightly. "My father died of tuberculosis, my mother had a breakdown because of it and committed suicide."

"Oh. I thought they had a cure for TB?"

He shoved his plate over and slammed the doggy bag down. "I don't know, okay? I was six, they didn't always tell me everything. Look, do mind if we talk about something else?"

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. Soujiro took the check and walked to the cash register, leaving Yumi alone at the table.

---

"I didn't think you'd ever get back. Soujiro, you have a promo tomorrow, so I suggest you get some sleep tonight. You look like shit. Yumi, may I speak to you? Privately?"

Soujiro and Yumi both hesitated at the door, surprised to see Shishio in such a good mood (at least, when compared to the night before). He stood at the doorway to the bedroom, obviously expecting Yumi to follow. She took a deep breath and did so, the door closing quietly behind them.

Soujiro scratched the back of his head and looked around uncomfortably. It was just like Shishio to completely ignore his protests and go ahead with this fight. He closed the door and slowly shuffled over to his suite. Maybe some music would calm him down.

---

"I'm sorry I hit you last night." Yumi sat on the bed with her hands on her lap, looking rather tense. Shishio alternated between pacing, and standing looking out the window, his arms crossed, looking quite uncomfortable. Apologies had never come very naturally to him. "But you know you shouldn't interfere with Soujiro and me. I've told you that before." Yumi looked down at her lap. Shishio cleared his throat. "Look, you've been bugging me about this for a while now, so I've been thinking…maybe it's about time we get married."

Yumi looked up in surprise, and was greeted with a smile. "Really?"

Shishio leaned against the wall. "If you still want to."

"Oh…" Her hand instinctively went to her mouth as she began to cry. She had waited nearly four years for this.

---

He smelled the roses on his way out the door. A dozen long-stemmed roses. Thornless.

Kaoru would love them.

Kenshin took in a deep breath and looked around. He loved mornings. They were always so crisp and refreshing; they represented the start of something new.

He looked back down at the roses. Kaoru had been rather down lately, and he was buying these in hopes of lifting her spirits.

He sprinted up the steps in a burst of energy brought on by the crisp air. The thought of the look on Kaoru's lovely face when presented with these made him smile at everyone he passed.

He was in a very good mood.

---

"Soujiro! I didn't expect you to call."

"Yeah, um, look, Kao, I just wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"It's all right. I know you're upset." Kaoru dragged the phone over to a chair and sat down. "So are you feeling any better this morning?"

"Well you know how you're always bugging me to get a girlfriend?"

Kaoru grinned. "Yeah?"

"Well, I think I got one."

"Really?" She glanced up as she heard the door open and close, and found Kenshin standing before her, holding a dozen roses. "Oh…I got to go, I'll call you in a bit, okay? I want to know everything!"

She hung up quickly and stood. "Oh Kenshin, thank you! They're so beautiful!"

Kenshin grinned at her. "I'm glad you like them."

Kaoru kissed his cheek and took the flowers into the kitchen, Kenshin tagged behind her.

"So, um," Kaoru began as she searched for a vase, "have you talked to Sano yet? You know about the fight?" She looked over at Kenshin anxiously.

Kenshin closed his eyes and nodded. Kaoru sighed. "I thought we were going to try to talk him out of it?"

"I did try. But he and Shishio have already made an agreement."

Kaoru sighed again and finally pulled a vase from the cupboard.

"Don't worry Kaoru, it will work out all right."

---

Soujiro hummed. He had a habit of humming when he was preoccupied. He hummed as he fed Isis, he hummed as he started up his computer, he hummed as he stood and gazed out of the window. Despite what had happened with Shishio, last night had been a relatively good night. He smiled and blushed and thought of Yumi. He felt like a schoolboy.

But the thought of Shishio- and moreover, the fight- kept nagging in the back of his mind. He was beginning to wonder just why he continued this. He didn't enjoy it. He really never did enjoy it, he only continued because Shishio gave him good food and a secure roof over his head. But he had so much money of his own now, he no longer had to rely on Shishio.

This made him stop and stare at his monitor. If he no longer relied on Shishio, why did he stay?

He shook his head. He knew why he stayed; he had no other place to go.

But with determined cheerfulness he pushed his mind onto other issues.

He didn't like to dwell on things too much, particularly things regarding him.

He stopped when he heard voices. He was worried that Shishio and Yumi would resume their fight when he and Yumi returned. He stopped and thought, then headed to their door to listen.

---

Yumi stared off into space as Shishio ranted. It was just like him to suddenly bring this up.

"I already told you Makoto, I was with Soujiro last night. I was too mad to stay here, so I stayed with him while he was training. I'm fine, there's nothing to worry about."

"Nothing to worry about." He mocked. "You said the same thing to your father the night you left with me."

Yumi shook her head and closed her eyes. "Why don't you ever believe me? No matter what I say, you don't believe me. What am I supposed to do, Makoto?"

Shishio turned away.

"First you propose to me, then you start yelling at me and demanding to know what happened last night." Yumi continued. "How can you want to marry me when you suspect me of everything?"

Shishio sighed. "I'm sorry. But Yumi…"

"No, no 'but's. I'm tired of listening to you accuse me. I'm not going to put up with it when we're married!"

Shishio turned back around with a glint in his eye. "When? Does this mean you accept?"

Yumi smiled slightly. "Yeah."

---

Soujiro didn't look up as he started away from the door. He honestly couldn't believe Yumi was finally getting married.

His Yumi.

--------

This thing is getting so sappy; I think I'm starting to hate it. -- I just realized that I kinda make Yumi out to be a two-timer. Poor Yumi. She's actually my all-time favorite female anime character (next to Myoubi from Alichino, and Akesato from Peacemaker Kurogane), so I honestly didn't mean to do that.

Sobrina-kun (or actually, Turtle-kun as she is now known, and it's her own fault!) convinced me to submit this fic to the Rurouni Kenshin-Broken Moons contest at www. Geocities .com / xfhbx / brokenmoons

(Take the spaces out. I had to put them in in order for the link to stay in the file when I submit it to She also nominated it for the RKRC awards Alternate Reality category, along with my songfic Baby of Mine for one-shot. (I have such a wonderful cousin. Aren't you jealous?) So…if anyone happens to be interested in seconding these two, the addy is

My thanks to darling Tortise (Turtle- kun) for helping me through my writer's block.


	8. Chapter 8

**If I Should Fall**

_By Night Imp_

Soujiro giggled as the stars twirled overhead. Back and forth and around and around…they were so pretty, little lights that were everywhere, completely innumerable. And they were so especially pretty when they twirled.

"Again, daddy!"

Souji laughed and picked his son up once again, holding on tight and spinning around.

Then Soujiro woke up.

He sat up and attempted to stand, and failed on the first three tries. He eventually stood and stepped over the bottles which were strewn about him on the floor, and somehow managed to step on his cat, who let off a shrill screech that made his head throb even worse than it already was.

He had no recollection of the previous evening (or day, or morning, or whatever it had been), and he got the distinct impression that he was better off that way. So he gave up on trying to remember, and his throbbing head thanked him. But just as his throbbing head began to enjoy the silence, someone banged on the door. Soujiro stopped and leaned against the wall.

"Soujiro, are you in there?" Yumi's voice called. She continued to pound.

Soujiro gritted his teeth and mentally debated the merits of opening the door. He eventually decided to do so, if only to get the pounding to stop.

"What?"

Yumi drew her hand back from the door and regarded Soujiro briefly before speaking. "Makoto wanted me to tell you to start getting ready, though by the looks of it you're in no condition for an interview."

"Interview?" He echoed softly. He desperately searched his memory for any mentioning of an interview, but found nothing.

"Yes, I know it's short notice…apparently he set it up the other night but with everything that went on…"

Soujiro groaned and walked away from the door. He now remembered why he was hung-over.

There was silence for a moment as Yumi watched him.

"What are you upset about now?"

"Nothing, Yumi."

Yumi rolled her eyes; the surroundings spoke to the contrary, but she chose not to say anything about it. "Well, you need to get ready. The interview is at one."

"What time is it now?"

"How the hell should I know? You have a clock in here somewhere, find it!"

Soujiro didn't say anything at first, but sat down on the bed and watched Yumi. Yumi returned his gaze, then slowly turned to leave.

"Yumi?" He asked quietly.

She stopped. "What?"

"Um…last night…or morning, or whatever it was when we got back…um…no, nevermind."

Yumi took a step closer. "No, what?"

Soujiro looked around and debated asking her. She stood and waited patiently.

"Um…Mister Shishio proposed, didn't he?"

"Yeah, he did."

"And you accepted?"

"Yeah, I did."

Soujiro cleared his throat and forced a smile. "Congratulations."

"Thanks." She stood for a moment longer and watched him; he remained still and kept his eyes on the ground. Finally she turned and shut the door quietly behind her as she left.

---

"Just look at me Soujiro, pretend the cameras aren't even here."

Soujiro blinked in the bright lights and nodded.

The director spoke, "Okay, we're rolling in five…four…three…two…"

"Good Afternoon, and welcome to KTVU Live. I'm your host, Kamatari Honjo." The anchorman (or woman, as no one was really entirely sure) said to the camera, "we have with us today one of the rising stars of the boxing ring, Mister Soujiro Seta. Thanks to his recent winning streak, the likes of which hasn't been seen in nearly thirty years, this one-time farmboy has become known nearly all over the globe, and we have his first exclusive interview. He joins us now live."

Kamatari turned to Soujiro as the camera shut off and another one at a different angle simultaneously turned on, recording the two from a profile.

"So Soujiro, what inspired you to go into boxing?"

"Um," nothing had inspired him, it had just happened. "My manager."

"And your manager is, of course, the famous Makoto Shishio who retired from the ring quite some years ago due to an injury." Kamatari directed this statement more to the audience than Soujiro. "Soujiro, I've heard rumors that you are actually going to fight Kenshin Himura, is this true?"

Soujiro paused. "Yes."

"I must say, it's very surprising. What prompted this move?"

"Um," how the hell was he supposed to know? Shishio was the one who set it up. "Career advancement."

Kamatari laughed slightly. "'Career advancement'. That's a very succinct way of putting it. I understand Mr. Himura is you're sister's fiancé. How does she feel about the two of you fighting?"

Sou's mouth twitched with the effort it took to keep smiling. What kind of stupid question was that? "Um, well, she's okay with it. I mean, she knows it's our job and all, you know?"

Kamatari nodded. "It's nice to have such an understanding sister."

Soujiro nodded. The interview continued in this fashion for another ten minutes, though it seemed to Soujiro more like an hour. The questions seemed mundane and pointless. He desperately wished for the interview to end.

He shifted in his seat and tried to pay attention, but his mind was still on Yumi. He was mad at himself for becoming so attached to her. He had known that nothing would ever have become of it…but still, in the back of his mind, he had a flutter of hope.

"Well thank you very much for coming in, Soujiro."

"Thank you."

Kamatari turned to the camera. "Be sure to tune back in tomorrow afternoon at the same time for an interview with the Luxor's newest magician, the amazing Ramses."

The cameras shut off and they stood. Kamatari held out a hand, which Soujiro shook lightly. "Thank you again, Soujiro. It's been a pleasure."

"Same."

Soujiro turned to Shishio, who for once actually looked rather approving. He followed his manager out of the building in silence.

"Well, you could have been a bit more friendly, but, for the most part, you did well Soujiro."

"Thanks." Soujiro muttered.

Shishio regarded him as they climbed in the back of the limousine. It was several more minutes before he spoke.

"What's wrong with you today? You act like someone died."

"Nothing." He did what he did best- he forced a smile. "I'm happy for you."

Shishio raised a questioning eyebrow. "Happy for me?"

"Yes…about Yumi, you know?"

"Ah." He smiled. "I gather she told you."

Soujiro turned and looked out the window. "When is the wedding?"

"Don't know yet, we haven't talked much about it." He studied Soujiro. Soujiro said nothing and continued to stare out of the window.

---

Yumi was gone when they returned. She decided to indulge herself in a little pampering. She was, after all, finally getting married. Didn't that count for something?

The hotel had a spa, among other things, and she charged her massage, facial, manicure and pedicure to the existing bill for the room. Shishio wouldn't mind. At least, she hoped he wouldn't.

"How are you today, Yumi?" The attendant asked. Tae had given Yumi many a facial during her stay, and enjoyed conversing with the older woman.

"I'm alright."

"How are Mr. Shishio and Mr. Seta?"

"They're doing fine."

Yumi leaned back and closed her eyes and seemed content to say nothing more. Tae started the facial, surprised by Yumi's silence.

"Is everything all right?"

A pause.

"Yes, everything is fine. Actually, I'm getting married."

"Well congratulations!" Yumi smiled slightly. "If you don't mind my saying, though, you don't seem very excited about it."

Yumi opened her eyes. "Don't I?"

"Well, it's just that normally girls are all giggling and chattering nonstop about it…" she shrugged. "Everyone is different though."

Yumi sighed and stared at the ceiling. The girl was right; she wasn't as excited as she should be, and it bothered her.

What was it that had changed? For so long, Shishio had been all she wanted. But for some reason, now that she had what she had been waiting for, it seemed as though it was no longer what she wanted. What was wrong with her?

---

"Damn woman took my money again." Shishio growled when he and Soujiro returned to the hotel. Soujiro only glanced at him and said nothing as they walked down the hallway to their respective suites.

What exactly did Yumi see in Shishio?

Once inside, Soujiro could hear Shishio through the hotel walls. Yumi was getting quite the verbal beating. Isis voiced her opinion and rubbed against Soujiro's legs before jumping on the bed; Soujiro sat down next to her and continued to listen to the argument in the next room over. Voices escalated, and a smack heard, nearly simultaneous with a shriek. Soujiro rose and opened the door between the two suites.

"Don't you dare touch her!"

Yumi looked up from where she sat on the ground, one hand to the side of her face. Shishio glared at Soujiro from where he stood above Yumi.

"Stay out of this, Soujiro."

"No." He shook his head and took a step closer. "No, I'm not going to just stand by while you beat her."

"This doesn't concern you, now get back to your room if you know what's good for you."

"Please, Sou." Yumi said quietly from the ground. She looked at him with pleading eyes. She didn't want to see him get hurt. Soujiro stared at her. Shishio took a step towards him with a snarl.

"Get out of here."

Soujiro looked up at him. "You have no right to hit her."

Shishio lunged and grabbed Soujiro by the throat, shoving him back against the wall. "You need to learn your place, boy."

Soujiro choked from the pressure of Shishio's hands around his throat, and glanced past Shishio to Yumi, who had retreated to the far side of the room, back pressed against the wall. She was crying. He was about to speak when Shishio threw him to the ground, grabbed a fistful of his hair, and used it to pull Soujiro upward, facing him to the door of his suite. He let go of Soujiro's hair and shoved the boy through the door.

"_I said stay out of it_!"

He punctuated the sentence by slamming the door and locking it.

On the other side, Soujiro stared at the door, clenching and unclenching his fists. Yumi deserved so much better than that.

-----

Yeah, I know it's short. Sorry, folks. But I figured I desperately needed to update, lest y'all think I went off and died somewhere, which I haven't (unfortunately for some). I'll be finishing this up with the next chapter, which I will hopefully post sooner than I posted this last one!


	9. Chapter 9

If I Should Fall

Chapter 9

Well, I came back from the grave just to write this for y'all so you know what happens to poor Sou and Yumi. It bugged me so much that I never finished this that I finally had to sit myself down and force it out. I hope it satisfies y'all, it's short and to the point.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Soujiro's breathing was heavy as he stood deciding what to do. His rage told him to bust down the door and like a white knight, rescue his Yumi. His instincts told him just how badly that would end. The yelling and sobbing continued in the other room. He knew the other hotel guests would have called the manager by now.

His heart ached. He wished that he had been a man, and told Yumi his feelings for her sooner. It may have prevented some of this mess. All this time, dreaming of her and a quiet life back on a farm again...away from all this bawdy pandemonium. He wanted to save her, protect her...

His attention returned to the present when he heard a faint knock on the door to Shishio's suite and the hotel manager's indistinct voice. A brief pause, followed by a quick conversation. He knew Shishio would have some excuse. The manager may have his doubts, but he would accept it. He heard the door shut, and there was silence. His muscles tensed, his stomach knotted. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, leaning against the adjoining door. He had to say it. He had waited too long.

"Yumi," he shouted, "I love you."

There was silence in the other room as his heart pounded in his ears. He waited, pressed against the door for a tense moment that seemed like forever. What was happening in there? Was Shishio going to take his anger out on Yumi? Why hadn't either of them said anything? Was she already dead?

The door flew open and Soujiro leaped back, his heart making the same sudden leap into his mouth. Shishio stood glaring at him. They stared at each other. Shishio stepped forward, grabbing Soujiro's shirt and throwing him against the wall. He threw a punch that landed on Soujiro's left cheek, knocking him off balance. Shishio grabbed his shirt again and pulled him up so they were face to face. They stared at each other. Shishio let go.

"You know what? You want that whore, you can have her. I'm glad to finally get her off my hands. Your career is over, boy. I made you, and I can break you. No matter who you try sign with, no matter where you try to get a gig, it's not gonna happen. It's over. I'll see to that. I wonder how you expect to support that money grabbing gold digger without a career."

He turned out walked out, picking up his keys and wallet and slamming the door. Soujiro was stunned that he did not get more of a beating. He felt almost disappointed, the nightmare he had always expected wasn't as much of a nightmare after all. He looked up to see Yumi standing in the doorway.

"I...I don't know what to say, Sou."

Soujiro looked at the floor. "I'm sorry Yumi."

She stared at him quietly for a moment. "What are you going to do now?"

He looked up at her. "All this time, I've just wanted to take you away from all of this. I don't know if that's what you want...but, please give me a chance to show you what it can be like. What it's like to have a good man that you can trust, who loves you unconditionally."

She knelt down next to him and brushed his hair back, kissing his cheek gently. She paused, then slowly kissed him again, tracing her way to his ear. "I'm willing to give it a try," she said.

He smiled and turned to her, caressing her beautiful face. He leaned in and kissed her lips gently, slowly. "I promise I'll take good care of you, Yumi." He whispered. She grinned and took his head in her hands, kissing first one eyelid, then the other.

"You realize Makoto just took off and left it up to us to pay for the hotel rooms."

Soujiro opened his eyes, still smiling. "It'll be alright. Everything has worked out just fine."

-finis-


End file.
